(by Don Meador, The Citizen-Times, September 17, 2020)
History will record that Glasgow defeated Allen County-Scottsville 21-19 on Friday, September 11, 2020 in football action at Hank Royse Stadium in Glasgow. However, 100 years from now, the score, location, and date will not tell the story of both the relief and strangeness associated with the game on a warm Friday night.
For the 120 or so Allen County-Scottsville fans fortunate enough to have a ticket to last Friday’s season opening at Glasgow watching the Patriots and Scotties battle for 48 minutes was both a relief and a bit strange. Relief in that high school football was being played despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Strange in the sights surrounding the contest.
Attendance was limited due to guidance from Glasgow High School which stated that only 30% of the stadium could be occupied. The guidelines meant many Patriot fans were forced to listen to the game on radio or watch on streaming provided by Glasgow’s Scottie Channel on YouTube—a situation that led to at least one Allen county family setting up an outdoor “big-screen” in their backyard.
For the fans at the game, seating was six-feet apart and masks required. For the team’s captains, the pre-game coin toss was not allowed, despite the fact that most of the captains were seconds away from lining up eye-to-eye with their opponents on the gridiron. Play was stopped to remind coaches to wear masks. The post-game handshake line was scrapped. All part of precautions mandated by the ongoing pandemic yet small steps to take for the safety of all and to fulfill guidelines that assured at least one game for AC-S and Glasgow players.
However, despite the circumstances, the opening of the high school season featured a tale of two contrasting halves. For the first 24 minutes, the teams looked like squads that entered the game with limited practice sessions and no preseason scrimmages. The Patriots managed a mere 30 offensive yards. Junior Thorny Walker punted five times. The Scotties used a pair of long second quarter drives to enter halftime with 144 total yards but the hosts also turned the ball over twice in the half. First-game jitters might also explain Glasgow quarterback John Carter Myers losing track of the down and spiking the ball on fourth down with 15 seconds remaining in the half rather than attempting to make a play from near the Patriot 10-yard line.
Interceptions by AC-S defensive backs Tanner Stinson and Nick Cooper----Cooper’s first game since November of 2018 due to missing the 2019 season recovering from an auto-accident related injury---were key in holding the Scotties out of the end zone in the first half. The effort couple with solid defense put the Patriots in position to start afresh in the third frame with the score still knotted at zero.
AC-S did not miss the opportunity or waste time getting on the board. Senior quarterback Trace McIntyre connected with senior wide out Jax Cooper for a 47-yard score, capping a five-play, 59 yard drive. Walker’s point after at the 8:58 mark of the third staked the Patriots to a 7-0 lead.
Glasgow quickly answered. Starting at their 35-yard line, Myers completed a 32-yard pass to move the ball into Patriot territory. Myers scrambled for eight yards to reach the AC-S 25-yard line. After the Patriot defense stiffened, Myers’ fourth down pass gave his team a first down inside the Ac-S five yard line. Moments later, Hunter Scott scored on a three-yard run with Lucas Allen’s point after tying the contest at seven with 5:51 left in the third.
The Patriots counter punched. McIntyre hooked up with Stinson for a 28-yard gain. Short runs and a pair of 15-yard Glasgow penalties left the Patriots in scoring position. McIntrye’s one-yard scoring run at the 1:20 point gave AC-S a 13-7 lead. However, would miss the point after following a penalty.
The Scotties battled back on their next drive. Myers engineered a nine-play, 60-yard drive that resulted in a score with 9:47 left in regulation. Allen’s point-after kick lifted Glasgow to a 14-13 lead and set the stage for the game-changing play.
On the kickoff, Glasgow’s coaches caught AC-S napping on defense. Allen executed a textbook onside kick and made the recovery at the Patriots’ 47-yard line. While AC-S was licking their wounds after the play, Hunter Scott followed with a run of 46 yards to the Patriot one yard line. Myers took the ball in at the 9:21 mark to give the hosts a 21-13 lead following the successful point after kick.
“It was a perfect onside kick,” Patriot coach Brad Hood pointed out. “The kicker laid it down beautiful and our kids didn’t react fast enough. I should have lined drive them some shorts ones or rolled them some last week. I’ll take that on me. We didn’t have them ready for what that kid did. But, we could have folded at that point and loss by two touchdowns.”
After a three-and-out series by AC-S, Glasgow appeared to be on their way to locking up their 34th win in the 43-game series. Taking time off the clock, Glasgow moved the pigskin to AC-S’s 15-yard line with just over four minutes left in the game. But, the Patriots met the challenge. Nick Grissom snagged a Myers’ flip pass to give AC-S possession and another chance to pull out the win.
Five consecutive Patriot pass completions to receivers Jake Bow, Jax Cooper, and Brandon Baxter enabled AC-S to quickly march from their 18 yard line to the Scotties 29. After a short run, McIntyre hit Nick Cooper to move the ball to the Scotties’ 10 yard line. On the next play, McIntyre legged the ball in for the score to pull AC-S to within a two-point conversion at the 1:50 mark. However, McIntyre’s pass sailed out of the end zone.
“Trace (McIntyre) went for it but the pass was a little high,” Hood added.
Glasgow started at their 35 yard line on the following possession. After two defensive stops by AC-S, the Scotties converted a 37-yard pass play that all but secured the game. After a pair of kneel downs, Glasgow had the 21-19 victory.
“That was a great call by Mac (Glasgow assistant coach James McReynolds,” Hood acknowledged. “We needed to stop it one more time. That was not the players fault. We went for the stop and I thought they might try a screen but not the play action.”
McIntyre finished with 188 passing yards to lead the Patriot offense.
“Trace really stepped up,” coach Hood said. “He led our football team. Trace kind of took us on his own and put us in a shot to win. Trace went for it on the two-point conversion. I was really proud of him and all of our players.”
Hood acknowledged after the game that he was concerned about his team coming into the game given the limited practice sessions in the past two weeks.
“I knew we didn’t have all the things in you that I would love to have in for the first game,” Hood said. “I knew defensively we did not but I was worried if we were going to be ready to play. But, I can tell you that they were emotionally, mentally, character-driven ready to play. That makes me proud.”
Overall, Hood was happy with the way his team responded to the challenges---both in the preseason and in the game.
“We came in and fought tool and nail and came up a little short,” coach Brad Hood noted afterwards. “It wasn’t because of effort, just a couple of bad things. I’m proud of the effort they showed.”
Offensively, Cooper finished with a solid night, catching six passes for 126 yards. McIntyre also led AC-S in rushing with 24 yards on a night when senior tailback Landon Witcher was never able to get on track against the Scotties run defense.
Defensively, senior Dillion Rookstool paced the Patriots being in on 12 tackles (solos and assisted combined). Senior Cody Miller and junior Will Moore each had nine tackles. Nick Cooper and sophomore Julyan McPeak were in on eight tackles.
AC-S (0-1) is slated to host Warren Central (0-1) Friday night at 7 p.m. at Patriot Stadium. The game will be the first of four District games. Prior to the game, coach Hood will recognize the team’s 20 seniors. The Senior Night is being moved to the first home game, rather than the last, as a precautionary measure in the event that an outbreak of COVID-19 forced a game or season cancelation.
Masks and social distancing guidelines will be enforced including no tailgating. A reminder to Patriot fans and supporters that attendance will be limited to 50% or less than capacity. To achieve that requirement, all tickets will be sold in advance. No tickets will be available at the gate. Ticket sales and COVID-19 guideline information can be found at the AC-S athletic website at https://www.allen.kyschools.us/hsAthletics.aspx.
In addition, AC-S supporters should note that Franklin-Simpson officials will announce early next week the guidelines for attendance and tickets sales for the Patriots game on September 25. Information will be posted on Social Media and on the athletic website when available.